


Hunting Hour

by Khalindora



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Blood & Gore, Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-11-27 18:30:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18197792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khalindora/pseuds/Khalindora
Summary: Ginny has a nightmare...(Written back in 2004 for maeglinyedi's "Your Worst Nightmare Challenge" on LJ.)





	Hunting Hour

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Blah blah blah... everything belongs to Joanne K. Rowling.
> 
> Written for maeglinyedi's "Your Worst Nightmare Challenge" on LJ back in 2004.  
> I took the challenge somewhat literally.   
> Here have a peek at a nightmare that haunted me every night for over a year. Side effect of the challenge?   
> When I started writing this, the nightmare came back. :-(
> 
> Rating: R  
> Warning: Blood & Gore
> 
> Big thankies to Azurite for the beta!

Her heart was hammering against her ribcage and the blood in her ears seemed to drown out the noises of whatever was following her. Ginny was running as fast as she could, branches whipping her face and leaving bloody clash marks. Her mind was possessed by only one thought, to escape, to get away from the thing that was chasing her. Stumbling over roots and rocks she ran on, ignoring the burning pain in her legs and lungs, she needed to get away. Only a couple of hundred meters and she would be save.

The growling and snarling behind her got louder. Had it gained on her? Was it more than one? All her instincts screamed at her not to look over her shoulder. But she couldn’t stop herself, she had to be sure that there was still enough distance between her and the thing. She turned her head and in that split second her foot got stuck in a root, and she fell to the slippery ground with a thud.

Scrambling to her feet, she started to run again but it was too late, the beast had reached her. It slammed her to the ground; frantically she kicked against her attacker to free herself from its grip. Claws ripped through her clothes and as she felt them sink into her skin and flesh she knew her attempts were in vain. The beast turned her over and with one swipe of its claws ripped her stomach open. Pain, her whole world was suddenly full of searing pain and the smell of blood, her blood.

With a jolt Ginny woke up, sweat-soaked and breathing heavily. It took her more than a minute to realize that everything had been a dream. But had it only been a dream? She didn’t dare to move. She had the feeling that she wasn’t alone in her room. Wasn’t that just a low growl she had heard? Didn’t that shape in the far corner just move?

Maybe if she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep the thing would go away? She lay there in the darkness trembling and trying to control her breathing. It had to be the fault of this stupid old house; she had always hated this place, it had given her the creeps from the very first time she had set a foot into it. She had been 14 then and now at 21 it still managed to unsettle her.

What should she do? Lying there forever like some scared animal playing dead wasn’t what she wanted to do at all. Slowly she inched her hand towards the bedside table. She could see her wand; only another inch and she would be able to protect herself.

Suddenly something large jumped out from the shadows and onto her bed. Before she had the chance to scream sharp claws slashed across her throat and left her with nothing but gurgling sounds. The beast raised one of its claws and tore open her belly with another swipe. Again, white searing pain was all that filled her being and before everything faded to black she could see the yellow gleaming eyes of the beast that devoured her innards.

This time Ginny awoke with a scream and immediately grabbed her wand to illuminate the room. Her heart felt like it would burst from her chest, she was drenched in sweat. But the light showed that she was alone in her room. Releasing a sigh of relief she got up and walked over to the window. She longed for some fresh air to clear her foggy brain.

Where did those nightmares suddenly come from, why were they so vivid? Was there something her subconscious wanted to tell her? She had read in some book that sometimes dreams could show a glimpse of the future or worked as some sort of warning. But of course, that was ridiculous really, because what would come next? Her believing in divination? Nonsense.

It had to be the stress; there was nothing else to cause this. Voldemort was dead, the war was over. The wizarding world was safe again and she had nothing to fear at all. As she pondered the cause of her nightmares an image came to her mind. Ron once had tried to gross her out with a moving drawing of a werewolf devouring the intestines of a young girl.

She shook her head. Was it really that simple? Could a drawing really be the source of her nightmares? Or was it the sum of it all? The mind was a strange thing, that much was sure. But at least she had something to blame now. The house, the picture and the stress, that suited her perfectly as an explanation. She wanted to smack herself in the first place for staying at Grimmauld Place with the others to celebrate Harry’s birthday.

Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair and let her eyes linger on the rooftops. This part of London seemed to be still asleep; it was bathed in an eerie silence. Neither the moon nor the stars were visible through the cloudy sky. The cool breeze had helped her to calm her nerves and she felt much better now, but her tongue and throat could use some water.

Silently, she tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen. The house was as silent as the world outside. She opened the kitchen door, half expecting to find one of her brothers pissed as a newt sleeping on the kitchen table, but there was no one. Her mother would throw a fit if she could see the mess they all had left behind. Shrugging, she grabbed a goblet, walked over to the sink and poured herself some water.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught a movement and whipped around. The goblet clattered to the floor.

“Remus! You scared the shit out of me.” She breathed a sigh of relief and picked the goblet up. He chuckled and walked towards her.

“What are you doing up at this hour anyway?” she asked while re-filling the goblet. Still he didn’t answer her question but moved closer. She could feel him right behind her. What was wrong with him and did he just sniff at her?

“Remus, what...” The words stuck in her throat and her eyes filled with horror.

Feral yellow eyes stared at her.

“Run, little Ginny, run.”


End file.
